What do I mean by Big Tech?

• Big Tech refers to technology companies that prioritize profit over the user.
• Big Tech is more concerned with keeping shareholders happy than its own customers.
• Big Tech uses dirty tricks to keep your attention for as long as possible so they can shove more ads down your throat.
• Big Tech offers free services in order to collect and sell your personal data.

As Yuval Noah Harari writes in his book Homo Deus:

"In the heyday of European imperialism, conquistadors and merchants bought entire islands and countries in exchange for mirrors and beads. In the twenty-first century, our personal data is probably the most valuable thing most people have to offer, and we give it away to tech giants in exchange for mailboxes and funny cat videos."

Examples of Big Tech companies include:

• Google
• Apple
• Meta
• Microsoft
• Amazon

Why am I leaving Big Tech?

There are several reasons for this:

• I'm tired of not knowing what happens to my data. I always thought this was fine because I had nothing to hide until I read this book.
• I no longer trust Big Tech. A good example is how Microsoft unceremoniously shut down the International Criminal Court's email service.
• I think it's too big a risk. What happens if Google, for whatever reason, closes my account? There are plenty of horror stories online about people desperately and unsuccessfully trying to contact Google.
• I think it's important that the web remains open. With actions such as the (fortunately failed) proposal for a Web Environment Integrity API, Google wants to close the web to certain 'unsafe' browsers. These browsers are, of course, not unsafe at all, but they have ways of disabling ads, which costs Google revenue.

For me, these are enough reasons to avoid these large tech conglomerates. But what do I use instead?

Android = GrapheneOS

When buying a smartphone these days, you have two choices: Android or Apple. Android is from Google, so in this case I would have to choose Apple. But I also have little confidence in Apple and how they handle their App Store monopoly.

That's why I opted for a customized version of Android, namely GrapheneOS. It's based on Android, but all connections to Google products and services have been removed. So you get the best of Android without Google watching what I do on my phone.

Ironically, GrapheneOS only works on Google Pixel phones. I therefore bought a second-hand Pixel phone, because it is more sustainable and cheaper, but also because it does not directly line Google's pockets. Installing GrapheneOS was fairly easy. At first, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to use all my apps, because I had read that some of them require Google Play Services, but so far I've been able to use everything, even banking apps.

Chrome = Waterfox

When it comes to replacing Chrome as a browser, there is really only one alternative, namely Waterfox.

If you're thinking, hey, but isn't that supposed to be Firefox? That's right, Waterfox is a fork based on Firefox but more focused on user privacy. Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, is becoming more and more like Big Tech by enabling certain options that share data (such as data about your device) by default instead of disabling them.

There are hundreds of other browsers out there, but almost all of them are based on Chromium. Chromium is the underlying technology developed by Google, which various browser makers then customize to their own liking. Even Microsoft, which in the distant past was locked in a fierce battle with Netscape to dominate the browser market, has succumbed to Chromium, which Edge now runs on.

Mozilla is the only developer that still offers resistance by continuing to develop its own 'engine'.

Google = Kagi

While Google has long been the sole ruler of web search, more and more good alternatives have emerged in recent years.

I have switched to Kagi. This is a paid search engine that does not display advertisements, which have only increased on Google in recent years.

In addition, you can influence the search results yourself by boosting certain domains (such as Wikipedia) or blocking them (such as Pinterest).

It is also possible to use the 'lenses' that are already available. A lens allows you to focus your search results, such as 'recipes' or 'programming'. This filters out all the noise and allows you to search only in the area you have specified.

For $5 a month, you can perform 300 searches. After that, each search costs 1.5 cents. This makes me more conscious of my online searches. I use DuckDuckGo for simple things and Kagi for more complex searches.

Kagi states that they do not store or resell personal data. This is a comforting thought, because I suspect that everyone occasionally searches for something they would rather not have others know about.

GMail = Protonmail

When Gmail was launched in 2004, I switched from Hotmail (remember that?) to Gmail as quickly as possible. But the fact that Google can choose to read or sell all my data at any time worries me. I also read stories about Google closing accounts for no apparent reason, thereby cutting off the lifeline of your digital life (because you need your email address to log in to most online services).

To prevent this, I switched to Proton Mail. I pay for an ad-free email solution. Proton also puts privacy first and does not share personal data. So far, I have no reason to doubt this.

Because I pay for Proton Mail, I can link my own domain to my email address. This has the added advantage that I always have control over how people can reach me. If Proton closes my account for any reason or goes bankrupt, I can easily change the domain's DNS to another email provider.

Google Maps = OpenStreetMaps / Organic Maps

It must be said, Google Maps is a great product. I have made the switch to Organic Maps (based on OpenStreetMaps), but as a result I miss out on up-to-date traffic information. I have also experienced a few times that I couldn't find a place (easily) or was sent to the wrong destination. I have learned the hard way to always enter an address in Organic Maps. General searches such as "Albert Heijn Nijmegen" do not yet work well enough. As a user, you can contribute to this yourself, which I do regularly. If I find that a description of a destination or opening hours is missing, I add it.

Google Drive = Proton Drive

As with email and calendars, Proton offers a good alternative. The advantage is that you can purchase all services in one package, which makes it more affordable. Just like Google Drive, Proton Drive offers a web app and a Windows or Mac application that synchronizes files.

Google Photos = Ente

Photos have become an important part of our lives. We want to preserve all our beautiful moments. But when a company like Google offers this service for free, you have to scratch your head. Because what happens to your photos? It didn't make me feel safe, so I looked for alternatives.

First, I came across the photo functionality built into Proton Drive. After using it for over a year, I realized that it wasn't developed enough to serve as a full replacement for Google Photos. For example, it's not possible to sync the separate photo folder in Proton Drive with a local hard drive.

I eventually settled on Ente. Like Proton, they consider privacy and encryption to be of paramount importance. The various paid subscriptions are classified according to disk space. This has also made me take a more critical look at all the photos I store. Because the fewer photos I store in Ente, the less it costs me. It turned out there was quite a lot of junk in there: screenshots and photos of items I sold on Marktplaats. This switch is forcing me to be more careful with my digital footprint.

Google Keep = Obsidian and Todoist

To replace Google Keep, I started using Obsidian. This is an open-source application that is available for both Windows and Android. I pay four dollars a month for the Sync version, so that my notes are synchronized across different devices.

With Google Keep, I also kept to-do lists with others, such as a shared shopping list. This cannot be done with Obsidian, so I replaced it with Todoist. I used the paid version for my own to-dos (48 euros per year) and discovered that it is also possible to invite other people to join shared lists. An additional advantage of Todoist is that you can assign a deadline to a to-do and indicate who should take care of it.

Google Docs = Libre Office

While searching for an alternative to the collection of office-like applications such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, I began to wonder if I actually needed them.

I use Google Docs very occasionally, but I can easily replace it with Obsidian (see the section on Google Keep and Obsidian). Only once or twice a year do I need to make a presentation or edit a spreadsheet. For these sporadic events, I might as well use a free and open-source offline package such as LibreOffice. I synchronize those files with Proton Drive. The only thing I miss is collaborating on a file, but I've only needed this functionality a few times in the past 10 years, and it could also be done by sending a document back and forth a few times.

Google Calendar = Proton Calendar

It is clear that Proton is trying to offer an alternative to Google with all its services. This also applies to the calendar. I found this the most difficult to switch over. In the end, it was simple, but the fact that I shared a calendar with someone else and that we had to switch over together made it more complex. Mainly because the other person also needs a Proton account to make this happen.

WhatsApp = Signal

Meta, the company behind WhatsApp, headed by Mark Zuckerberg, has proven time and again that it has absolutely no respect for its users. So why should I continue to use their free chat service when I have no idea what will happen to my data in the long run?

That's why I switched to Signal. Fortunately, my friends and (most of) my family were kind enough to make the switch too. I text the other people or I call them, which is very awkward.

Signal is free but operates on a donation basis to ensure that you can communicate securely without ads, trackers, or anyone watching. That's why I make regular donations.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

When I read other stories from people trying to break away from Big Tech, they often say that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. What if Proton goes bankrupt or turns out to be malicious after all? For now, this is a risk I'm willing to take, because I haven't found a good alternative to the services mentioned. I am keeping a close eye on the news surrounding Proton, which is positive so far, so that I can act in a timely manner if necessary.

Conclusion

All in all, it costs a considerable amount of money to break away from Big Tech. But I'm willing to pay that price. It feels better to pay for online services, and it's actually crazy that we think everything should be free. If it's free, you're the product.